The Proposal
by Claire Violet Thorpe
Summary: Set in 1800's England, a doctor's son and a pastor's daughter are brought together against many adversities. Gift for QuantumFizzx for FAGE 3Some
1. Chapter 1

Ficawesome Gift Exchange- 3some

Title: The Proposal  
>Written for: QuantumFizzx<br>Written By: Claire Violet Thorpe  
>Rating: T<br>Summary/Prompt used: Pastor's daughter and reserved doctor's son meet (maybe a period piece?)

During a time when it was appropriate for a young woman to seek a good husband, one young woman despairs at the fact that because she is the pastor's daughter, no man would want to marry her. A young man had gone through a series of failed relationships and decides that he never wants to get married. Could a chance meeting at a ball lead to a possible marriage?

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

(Angela's POV)

I don't know what I was thinking when I accepted the invitation to the Cullen's annual ball. Not that I didn't want to go, but if I refused the invitation, then Alice would gladly drag me there.

To begin, this was a time where a successful woman was a married woman. There were some women in town that owned their own businesses and such; they usually had husbands to come home to.

But not me. Would anyone seriously want to marry the daughter of a pastor?

Alice said to me as we were preparing for the ball, "Angela, you must come. There will be handsome men there."

Alice Cullen was the liveliest member of the Cullen family. She had married Jasper Whitlock (a soldier) two years before, when my best friend Bella and I were not yet of age. Her parents, Carlisle and Esme, were rich and generous. Carlisle was a doctor and an inheritance from his late father was the foundation of the Cullen family wealth. His wife, Esme, was from a wealthy family. Their oldest son, Emmett, had married Rosalie Hale last year. Rosalie was also rich, but she was very prideful and stubborn.

As for their second son, Edward, he had yet to find a wife. We had seen him go from relationship to relationship, but never finding the one girl that he would marry, which upset him and his parents.

Alice sighed and said, "Bella just got back from her honeymoon; she'd appreciate it if you came to the ball."

I frowned, remembering the wedding that had occurred four weeks ago. Bella Swan, daughter of the police chief, had married Riley Biers, the son of the owner of the bakery. Many had said that it was the biggest wedding that our village had seen in years. I remembered Alice forcing me to go to that wedding and her not taking the word no for an answer. I had been Bella's maid of honor, but the day was for her. Not me.

I heard the clink of a door opening and my mother walked into my room. She was carrying a dress that she had brought for tonight's event. The dress was a sapphire crepe gown, which was sewn with tiny dots. It seemed to have been made for a slender woman. Mother said, "Here's the dress for the ball, and do give my regards to Dr. Cullen."

"Mother," I said, "will I ever get married?"

"Of course," said mother. "Why do you ask that question?"

"It's just that all my friends are either engaged or married, and yet I'm forever alone," I said. For a good while, I thought the reason no one wanted me was because I happened to be the daughter of the village minister, and as we all knew, I was "off limits." In fact, no one dared approach me with intentions to court me or ask my father for my hand in marriage.

Mother said, "You should go to this ball, Angela. Who knows? There will be a man there who is searching for his other half. Many couples here have met at the Cullens' balls."

She wasn't lying there; it seemed that every year they held the summer ball, many couples would meet there. Within a few months up to a year, most of them would be married. I am not sure how this happened; father and mother believed that the balls were God's way of uniting couples.

Mother said, "You can't always be forever alone; one day, you'll find that special someone. You just need to go out there and find him."

"And catch him," father said from his office, which was down the hall. "You need a good strong net to catch him."

I nodded, wondering if this year at the Cullens' ball I would find the one man I was destined to marry.

At the ball, Bella and Alice chatted about some projects they were working on as I was sitting next to Jessica Stanley. More like Jessica gushing about her recent engagement to Mike Newton, whose family owned a supply store and me not saying anything.

I wouldn't call it a bad thing, but then I saw someone walking through the doorway to the ballroom. I expected Dr. Cullen or his wife to walk into the ballroom, but they were chatting with the butcher and his wife. Jessica stopped talking and said, "Is that Edward Cullen?"

Edward Cullen was the kind of man who would make a girl's heart melt within seconds of her glancing at him. He had his father's blue eyes and his mother's brown hair. It really didn't help much that he could not find a girl and settle down; not if most girls he encountered looked at him as if he were a piece of meat and not a man.

Bella said, "Edward is here? I thought he was in Italy."

Alice said, "I can't believe he's here!" She squealed and ran off to get him.

Bella, Jessica, and I stared at each other for a second. While everyone else was concerned with the gossip surrounding a princess's upcoming wedding, we were wondering about a man named Edward Cullen.

Riley came towards us and said, "Edward's here? I always knew things wouldn't work out with that Tanya girl."

"He was smart enough to leave her when he had the chance," said Mike.

Edward and Alice were seen speaking with Dr. Cullen and Esme. Emmett and Rosalie stood to one side, not saying anything while Jasper was speaking to some fellow officers by the punch bowl. I frowned as I remembered why Edward had gone to Italy: it was after another bad relationship that Edward decided to call the whole thing off. Why wouldn't he? To him, girls stared at him as if he was a huge piece of meat and they didn't see him as a person. Only Bella and I were able to see him as just a friend.

But why would he go off to Italy with that Tanya Denali? To us, Tanya was nothing more than a succubus, a witch who used her charms to get her hands on whatever man she wanted. Edward was certainly not one for seduction, as he was modest to a fault.

She should never have tried to seduce him at all.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(Edward's POV)

The room where my family was hosting the ball was crowded, as usual. Everyone was mingling about, talking to people they haven't seen in a while, and I just walked in without so much as a second glance.

My father noticed me and called me over to speak to him. It had been a long time since we had last spoken to each other and I had to inform him and my mother that I had (once again) failed to find a bride.

It seemed that my whole life, I had been very difficult to please. Sure, I was the son of one of the richest and most successful doctors in all of Millhurst, but I was the shyest and most withdrawn of the Cullen children. I wasn't anything like my older brother Emmett (who was the prankster) or my younger sister Alice (who was so hyper that you needed some gin & tonic to keep up with her). I was content to write music and play the piano that sat in the sitting room at my family's home.

My mother, Esme, laid a hand on my shoulder and said, "Don't feel too bad about turning down Tanya's offer of marriage. There will be other girls for you. Maybe you could find the girl you're destined to be with tonight."

If only she were right.

Anyway, my father said to me, "Edward, you've got to learn to stop rejecting every offer of marriage that these girls and their families are presenting to you here. I just want you to be married and to be happy about it."

"I understand," I said, "but I would appreciate it if these girls stopped looking at me like I'm a huge piece of meat. I want a girl who would look at me as I am a man."

My father frowned as he looked at me. He too had been in this situation, turning away every other girl he had met just because they saw him as a tall drink of water.

That was, until Esme Evenson came along. Esme, whose family was part of the up-and-coming bourgeois, those who were becoming the new middle class. Carlisle's father did not like the new middle class at all; he thought they would take away the wealth and fortune that his family (and several ancient families) had during the medieval times.

My father continued, saying, "One day, you will have to stop rejecting these girls and get married. I had to learn that lesson the hard way when my father practically forced me to marry your mother."

I knew that I would have to stop pushing away girls or I would never get married. But which girl do I pick? I nodded, mumbled my excuses to the guests, and began to head upstairs to my room. I had had a long journey and needed to recover from my disastrous relationship with Tanya Denali.

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

Bella and I were chatting, the excitement of Edward's return and the gossip quickly dying down. I was deciding to head home.

For some reason, God saw fit to keep me at the ball for another 30 minutes.

Anyway, I gasped as I saw Edward Cullen heading my way. Edward Cullen, the boy who every girl wanted to have and every guy wanted to be, was in the same hallway as I was. Edward had always been hard to get, and I don't even know if there was a chance that he and I could end up together; me the daughter of a minister and him the son of a doctor.

Maybe tonight I had to chance it.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I had failed to notice Edward saying, "Angela Weber, is that you?"

"Yes," I said quietly, hoping that he didn't hear me. No such luck.

He said, "I haven't seen you in a while. Did anything good happen while I was gone?"

"Well, Bella got married and now Jessica's engaged," I said in a rush.

Edward said, "I take it that you are engaged or married as well?"

"Neither," I said. "I haven't even found a man who wouldn't judge me based on my father's career."

"You shouldn't feel that way," said Edward. "There is someone out there for you, and they shouldn't judge you like that. In fact, most men should be grateful for your father's career."

I nodded and frowned. This was not going well."

Anyway, I must go; I've had a rough journey and I must rest. I hope to see you soon, Angela," he said.

After he walked away, I could not believe my ears. I hope to see you soon. Did he really say that or was it my imagination? I spent the journey home wondering about those very words and my parents discussed various people they had spoken to at the ball, people who were lucky to not be facing what I was facing right now. Edward Cullen wanted to see me? Now this was unlikely, as Edward had come off from a bad engagement. Was he looking to recover from that?

What did he see in me? Me, the daughter of a minister, the only person (besides Bella) who didn't think about Edward as a piece of meat? Surely, this must have been a dream. That was the only way this could have happened. This was not real.

Before I could reason it away, my mother said to me, "Angela, I heard that Edward wants to see you in a week's time! Isn't that wonderful? He usually never speaks to any other girl except for you and Bella."

"This could be the beginning for you yet," my father said.

I nodded and headed off to bed where (hopefully) I could forget about this moment and go back to my humdrum life.

However, God didn't let me forget


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(Edward's POV)

I couldn't believe myself! I had barely recovered from my failed engagement to Tanya Denali when I asked to see Angela Weber. What was I thinking?

The big, heavy, wooden doors swung open and I walked into the main house and went straight to my room. I needed to think this over. In the months that I had come of age, I had grown up rather quickly and that had all the girls going for me.

As I had girls flocking after me, I found myself turning them all down. I couldn't bring myself to accept any of them at all. It's not my fault that I couldn't find a wife; I couldn't marry a woman who only saw me as some sort of god.

No one told me that I had to choose a wife by myself; I thought the parents usually arranged the marriage. Now it's the whole business of "_falling in love_" that is having couples at the altar, not the family's decision.

I'll never fall in love, not if the girl won't love me back.

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

I never expected to find a card detailing the time and date that Edward wanted to meet me.

It had been a week and a half since the summer ball, and everyone who attended had yet to come down from that high. Let me tell you, I was having a hard time forgetting about that first meeting with Edward Cullen. That meeting that should not have happened in the first place.

If I speak of myself in this story, it is because I didn't have the courage to turn down the invitation. Not when Edward had returned from Italy and certainly not after he had suffered the end of a bad relationship. Then again, who am I to judge myself when I never had a relationship before?

* * *

><p>(Edward's POV)<p>

The following week, I found myself standing at the front door to Angela's house.

I had been in front of Angela's house before, but only as friends. This time, I was there to talk to her.

What could I say to her?

Angela stood at the door and stared at me for a very long time. She didn't stop staring at me until her mother came to the door and said, "Edward Cullen? I heard that you have returned from Italy."

"Indeed I have," I said. I did not feel like talking about my trip to Italy, not when it ended in disaster.

In fact, this whole date was a disaster. I just wanted to run back home and forget about her.

Her mother insisted that we talk, so she made us join her in the sitting room. The walls in this high-ceilinged room are obscured entirely by floor to ceiling bookshelves. A brisk blast of air comes through an open window, stirring the stark white curtains. Angela and I sat on the sofas that were apart from each other, not content to speak to each other, or to get past the idea of us hooking up so quickly after my breakup with Tanya.

In short, I was very much unprepared for this.

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

During the two or so hours that Edward was there, my parents asked him all sorts of questions; mainly questions about the Italian culture and whatnot. Not one question was asked about Tanya Denali.

Even then, I didn't wish to hear about her at all. From Bella and Alice, I had heard that she was a bit of a shrew and a seductress. Someone very unsuitable for a man like Edward. What about a daughter of a pastor? Especially one who has never dated before? Why am I continuing to judge myself based on the girl who almost married Edward? Before I could continue berating myself, I heard Edward saying, "Rosalie was very angry when I announced that I had called off my engagement to Tanya. She had rather liked Tanya and hoped that they could be connected through marriage to me."

I paused for a second, knowing of what that meant. Rosalie, as I have said before, was a snob, but even then, most snobs were tolerable. Rosalie was not. She wasn't very nice to any other girl who was less than beautiful, and she certainly might not approve of someone like me marrying her brother-in-law. The rest of the Cullen family would beg to differ.

* * *

><p>(Edward's POV)<p>

I knew that it was time for me to go when I was asked to describe to the Webers about what Tanya had been like.

Sure, they are at the church and they see many people there, but this was Tanya we were dealing with. I was not ready to deal with it just yet.

After mumbling my excuses, I rushed out the sitting room and ran down the hall until I reached the door. Angela was standing there, saying, "Are you all right, Edward?"

I said, "I am not ready to deal with Tanya right now. Your parents, though they are very nice people, want me to talk about her. I promised to never do that."

Angela said, "Why? What has Tanya done to you?"

"You don't want to know," I said as I walked out the front door.

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

I watched Edward leave and thought to myself _he's just as shy and reserved as I am_. Why did he bolt when my parents asked him about Tanya?

My mother came to me and said, "He'll come back, Angela. They always do. He knows that there is no one else left for him, save for you, of course."

I did not hear the rest of my mother's words; I was too busy thinking about what Edward had said regarding Tanya. What did he see in Tanya that probably had him swearing off marriage? Did he have a fight with Rosalie? What did the rest of the family say when confronting him about Tanya?

In short, I think it was time for my family to deal with Edward's family.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

(Edward's POV)

My parents were church-going people, which I already knew. My father had treated various members of the church whenever they were sick or injured, or pregnant. Therefore, everyone in the church knew who Carlisle Cullen was.

The one problem was how those people were going to see me. Would they see me as the shy reserved son of the doctor, as I had always been, or would they see a young man who had rudely dumped a girl on the verge of a possible wedding?

I forced myself up and out of bed; it had been mere hours since the disastrous chat with Angela Weber. I had gone straight home and said nothing to no one, not even my parents. I could not believe that I never got the chance to say what I wanted to say. I knew that I would have to face Angela again.

Dear God, why of all times when I wanted to speak to Angela, the words never come out right?

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

I stood there wearing a simple dress with flowers on it and my black shoes. I had to put on a brave face and not worry about what others would think of me, not since the talk with Edward Cullen was a disaster.

My mother said to me, "Angela, do not worry about what the others will say about you; you need to just go live your life regardless. Also, don't worry about Edward; I'm sure he'll come around."

Did my mother ever have this problem with finding my father as a suitable mate? Was she the daughter of a pastor who could never find a man?

Within a few hours, our family was gathered at the church welcoming everyone who had come. As I watched the seats fill up with worshippers, I began to wonder if I would see Edward there. His family did attend services, but only when Carlisle wasn't treating anyone in town who was sick or injured, or pregnant.

To my surprise, Alice bounced into the sanctuary and sat next to me in the front pew. She said, "I heard that your date with Edward was a disaster. I told him that it was a bad idea to see you so soon after that disastrous breakup with Tanya." Did she know that this was going to happen? Could she predict the future? Alice then continued, "Well, Rosalie gave him a lot of grief for dumping Tanya and him going after you; but what does she know about him anyway?"

"She liked him," I said, "as did so many of the other girls. But she was among those who saw him as a huge piece of meat, and she never let him forget it either."

My jaw hit the floor the moment I saw Edward walk through the door. He was standing next to Dr. Cullen and Esme as both parents were talking to one of their former patients. Edward was just standing around, not saying much to anyone.

He was angry. I could tell by the look in his eyes that something wasn't right with him. What had happened to him?

All in all, I'd rather be someplace else than at church with Edward Cullen.

* * *

><p>(Edward's POV)<p>

I always knew that Rosalie had hated me, but this was ridiculous. Not to mention that after the disastrous date with Angela, she screamed at me for several minutes, calling me twenty versions of the word _idiot_ and saying that with my ultimate rejection of Tanya Denali, I had brought shame and disgrace upon my family.

It took Emmett a long time to calm her down. But for me, the damage had already been done.

If she thought I was going to just drop Angela and go back to Tanya, then she is severely mistaken. Just then, Jasper tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Church is starting, so we need to take our seats now."

We walked down the narrow way, looking for an empty pew to sit at. There was no way I was sitting with my parents, Emmett, and Rosalie, not after what Rosalie had said to me.

Jasper finally noticed Alice sitting in the front pew with Angela and her mother. Now, it was like I was caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, I could sit by Rosalie and endure her cruel looks, but on the other hand, I could sit next to Angela and feel awkward. Looks like awkwardness beats out dirty looks, because Jasper went to sit by Alice. But I sat by Jasper and not by Angela; I didn't want a repeat of yesterday.

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

Well, believe it or not, dad (and God) had something to say about marriage.

When you think about it, love and marriage DO go together; as if you can't have one without the other. But what about the couples that were married for a long time and the love between them began to fizzle? What would happen to them then?

I looked back and saw EDWARD sitting next to Jasper, who was sitting next to Alice, who was sitting next to me. I felt myself blushing.

After church was over, the reception was being held in the fellowship hall. As scores of parishioners made their way to the hall, I chanced to see Bella and Riley in the kitchens. I guessed Riley's family bakery had received orders to make enough treats for everyone at the church.

After telling Bella about the disastrous date, she said to me, "You think my first date with Riley wasn't horrible? Well it was. First off, Riley mumbled all throughout the date, as if he could never get the words to come out right. Also, his parents were a bit…intimidating to say in the least."

I said, "At least he didn't have to deal with an evil sister-in-law who gave him grief for not marrying her best friend."

"Really?" said Bella. "Then I'd hate to be him. He must feel so bad right now."

I knew that she was right; Edward was feeling rotten about the whole deal. But I would deal with that issue later, as there were other things for me to worry about.

* * *

><p>(Edward's POV)<p>

Rosalie still hasn't gotten over the fact that I had chosen to leave Tanya. In fact, she wanted me to suffer for my "_mistake_."

Ok, so Rose and Tanya had been girlhood friends, but that didn't mean that I had to marry Tanya.

I stood at the doorway to the reception hall watching as everyone mingled and chatted amongst each other. I saw Bella and Riley handing out donuts and tea to the people, Emmett and Rosalie talking to some other couple, and Alice and Jasper speaking to Angela. No one in the place had seemed to care about my disasters and me at all.

That was, until Alice walked up to me and slapped me across the face. She said, "Edward Anthony Cullen, how could you walk away from Angela? I knew I set up the date for you two for a reason!"

"Why are you trying to help me?" I cried out.

Alice said, "You need to quit dumping girls at the moment they start noticing you. Now Angela Weber is a nice girl, and she hasn't been in love yet. You need to give her a chance."

"I have," I said. "But the fact that Tanya could come back and try to reclaim me is a bit…intimidating."

"Will you stop worrying about Tanya for just a moment and focus on Angela?" Alice screamed at me. At this, everyone in the place all turned and stared at me. Even my parents had shocked looks on their faces. Alice ignored everyone and yelled, "You will go on a second date with Angela. You will be polite to her parents, and you will NOT go running off at the first sign of trouble! Do you understand?"

All I could do was nod; I was too embarrassed to say anything else.

"Good," said Alice. Now I'm going to arrange the date with Mr. and Mrs. Weber, and this time, you won't go running off. Do you get it now?"

I knew that I wasn't going to have a better time the second time around; Alice was going to make sure of that. But what I didn't know was that the next date would make the first date pale in comparison...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

(Angela's POV)

The next week, I found myself wearing one of my nicer dresses and my hair expertly styled by Alice; she was drilling me with what I could and could not do on this new date with Edward Cullen. Such as, I could not ask too many questions about his other dates, and absolutely no talking about Tanya. Also, I could not just clam up, because I tended to do that whenever I was nervous.

My parents, of course, were more than thrilled to have Edward come over a second time, but this time, Dr. and Mrs. Cullen were coming with Edward to make sure that he didn't run off a second time.

I was standing in the parlor arranging the plates of cookies and the tea set when the doorbell rang. Standing there was Dr. and Mrs. Cullen and standing behind them was Edward himself. He wasn't too happy with the prospect of a forced second date, nor was he happy that his parents had to come in order to make sure that he didn't run off a second time.

Mrs. Cullen said, "Hello, Angela, you look nice today."

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I said while trying to maintain eye contact. Looking at people was not one of my strongest things.

"Call me Esme," said Esme as she led Edward into the parlor. Dr. Cullen, or Carlisle (as he preferred to be called), came in after his wife and son. Within a few minutes, everyone was seated in the parlor.

Would this date end badly like last time?

* * *

><p>(Edward's POV)<p>

Well, it was hard to admit that things were so much better the second time around.

But still, I was just as shy and nervous as the first time I had gone over their house.

Pastor Weber asked me why I left Tanya Denali. That was the same question that had sent me fleeing from their house in fear. But this time, I hesitated and then said, "Tanya was too demanding and pushy. Plus, she kept making me feel like I was less of a man and more like a piece of meat. Then again, most girls tended to make me feel like I was a useless piece of meat."

"Love is hard when you're young," said Pastor Weber. "I too didn't have it easy when I first met Ella. Her father wasn't too sure if I could support her on a pastor's salary and I felt that I might not be good enough for her. But things can change given the right time and circumstances."

I nodded, knowing that that could land me in trouble with Rosalie. But I never really liked her at all and I wondered why Emmett would marry anyone like her. But this wasn't his tale to tell; it was mine.

It was a blessing and a curse to be this good-looking. On one hand, you'll never have to worry about feeling less of yourself even if you felt ugly on certain days. But on the other hand, people would do crazy things just to have you.

But Angela wasn't like those other girls, nor did she look at me like I was a huge piece of meat. But that didn't mean that I couldn't be shy around her.

After a few minutes of everyone else just chatting and me sitting in my seat, wishing that I were anywhere else but where I was now, Mrs. Weber said, "Angela, why don't you show Edward the rest of the house?"

I wouldn't call it a bad thing, but then again, I would be by myself with Angela. We barely knew each other, but only as friends. What would happen if we tried to grow beyond that friendship?

Angela stood up and we both walked out of the parlor and headed straight to the ballroom. Angela said, "This is where we usually have the traditional first-of-the-month balls."

I knew that the Webers hosted the first-of-the-month balls, in which many people would gather to celebrate the first day of the month. I had never gone to those balls, seeing as they could be another opportunity for girls to ogle me and make me feel less of a man. It was much bigger than I had imagined; the high-ceilinged room is silvery and moonlit. The walls are haphazardly painted in dark rose. Strong cologne wafts through the air. The floor is tiled marble.

Angela said, "Why don't you ever come to these balls?"

I said, "You know that most girls there make me feel inadequate. Not to mention I have to endure all of those jealous glares from the other men. I decided that I couldn't be bothered with attending anyway." I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, but I really didn't want to deal with this right now. I had attended the ball once, and that was where Rosalie had first introduced me to Tanya.

Meeting Tanya was the worst thing that I had ever done, as she claimed that she had wanted me for many years. And it certainly was no help that Rosalie had encouraged her to go after me.

But Angela was different from Tanya; not only was she a pastor's daughter while Tanya was the daughter of a rich man, but she treated me like I was a human being and not as a piece of meat.

As we continued to chat and walk around the ballroom, I had gotten a strange feeling that somehow, Angela could be the one I had been searching for.

But I can't let her know that.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(Edward's POV)

A few weeks had passed since that second meeting, and things seemed to get better for me. Alice made us meet every other week and we would often go to balls, plays, or even shopping. Angela and I really began to enjoy ourselves on these dates, and I had a fun time brushing off any other girl who was jealous of Angela because she had me.

But there was one person who would not accept this new relationship at all. It was Rosalie Cullen. She had had it in for me since I had broken things off with Tanya and started pursuing Angela Weber, and she wasn't going to let that go at all.

She was an idiot if she thought I was going to leave Angela and go back to Tanya.

The fur really began flying when Angela and I were invited to a party thrown by Billy Black; he was celebrating the birth of his first grandchild and his son Jacob's engagement to Leah Clearwater.

I had known the Black family for many years since they had a summer house next to my family on the coast at Stoneapple Shore. Billy had asked me to come and bring Angela to the party; she had never seen Billy's parties, since Billy was part of the old nobility and it was very hard for most people to go to these kinds of parties.

Rosalie and Emmett were there, as well as Alice and Jasper. Alice and Jasper were over by the kitchens, chatting with Bella and Riley. Angela and I were talking to some other couple (who were NOT Jessica and Mike) when Rosalie approached us. She was very angry.

She said to me, "I can't believe you, Edward! You bring her to the ball and blatantly refuse to go back to Tanya? How stupid can you be?"

I said to her, "Rosalie, we've been through this; I cannot in my good nature spent the rest of my life with Tanya just because she just happens to be your best friend. I'm with Angela now and I think it's time for you to put up or shut up."

Rosalie glared at me for a long time. Several other people were watching, among them were Billy Black and Harry Clearwater. I then said, "And if you think that you're going to bring Eleazar and Carmen into the situation, you better reconsider immediately."

Rosalie took another cold hard look at me before she walked away. Emmett stayed, however, and apologized for Rosalie's behavior.

Some of the people just shook their heads and muttered to themselves _why is this boy married to that shrew? He could do so much better than her! Who does she think she is?_

Billy pulled me aside and said, "Now what is this all about, Edward? You never fight with anyone before, let alone a girl."

Harry cut in by saying, "And I suppose that you may have offended her in some way. What have you done to her that was so wrong that she is angry with you?"

"I turned down her best friend's offer of marriage," I said.

"Who? Tanya?" Billy said. "Well, that's harsh."

"I'll say," said Harry. "I bet she's probably seething right now."

I knew that that was the probable truth, but I didn't want to deal with this right now, as I saw Jacob coming over to talk to Angela and me. I knew that whatever grief that Rosalie had against me wasn't over yet…

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

I had met Rosalie Hale before and she wasn't very nice. But now I saw her married to Emmett Cullen and she was even worse than she had been before her marriage.

Edward and I were just returning from seeing the play _The Black Knight_ and we just happened to see Emmett and Rosalie there as well. I had assumed that they had gone to see the play as well.

Emmett saw us and waved, but Rosalie frowned at him. Edward and I approached them and Emmett said, "Did you guys like the play?"

"It was a bit too dark for my liking," I said.

"That's what made it fun," Emmett boomed. He could be such a child sometimes.

Edward said to him, "Did Rosalie force you to see that play with her? Is that why you are here?"

"Force me?" said Emmett. "I'm just trying to get her to cheer up. It was kind of too bad that you and Tanya had to break up. But if you want my honest opinion about her, she was a bit too bossy for me. Not the kind of girl that I would like my brother to marry."

Rosalie glared at him and he said, "What? I'm just giving him my honest opinion on this situation."

"He's heard your opinion already," said Rosalie.

"And I believe that I have heard yours as well," said Edward. "In fact, I'm not sure if Angela will appreciate you saying all kinds of bad things about her. She is a daughter of a respectable man. A pastor, mind you. And I have my reasons to believe that she is much better than Tanya will ever be! So there!"

Rosalie glared at me for a very long time. The room suddenly grew silent, and it was intense. But what could I say to her that Edward hadn't said already?

I said, "I know that you don't like the fact that Edward is with me and he's not marrying your friend Tanya. She had her chance with him and she blew it. Now you will just have to deal with the fact that Edward and I are together."

Rosalie glared at me again and she stormed off. Emmett said to us, "I don't know what has gotten into her, but don't worry, I'm sure that she's not going to do anything...drastic."

He took off following Rosalie. Edward and I stared at each other, not knowing what to say. On one hand, we could easily break up and Edward could go back to Tanya, but that would mean that Rosalie and Tanya would have already won him and I would be as I had feared, forever alone.

But the other way is that we could both stay together, but that too could annoy Rosalie to no real end.

Decisions, decisions…what were we going to do?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

(Angela's POV)

A few days after the incident with Rosalie at the play, I found myself at the bakery with Bella. We were baking donuts for the church service. I had told her about the confrontation with Rosalie that had happened at both the play and Billy Black's party.

At length, Bella said, "I wonder if Rosalie just happened to be jealous over what you and Edward have. I must admit that he told me that he was happier with you than when he was with some other girls. That could be the case."

"I know," I said, "but I do know that if Rosalie doesn't stop trying to force Edward to leave me and go back to Tanya, I might have to do something…drastic."

Bella said, "I do hope it doesn't come to that. But what's so great about Tanya, anyway? She's not even worth your jealousy at all, let alone Rosalie's friendship. I don't see how they could be friends at all."

"So, did you and Edward…kiss yet?" Bella said. "Alice needs juice."

"Well, we did kiss once," I said, "but it wasn't what we had read about in the books. I wondered who on earth had invented the concept of kissing in the first place."

Bella frowned and said, "It took Riley about a year and a half to kiss me. That poor guy was so nervous about how it would have gone that he held it off. At least Edward is a bit more…forward."

"I'll say," I said as I continued cutting out the holes for the donut circles.

* * *

><p>(Edward's POV)<p>

"I don't know, Sam," I said as I spoke to my friend Sam Uley as we sat outside The Smiling Knight Saloon. "I know I want to be with Angela, but I can't make that move as long as Rosalie insists that I should be with Tanya."

Sam said to me, "You don't deserve Tanya; she is nothing more than a slattern and she cares nothing for the feelings of the people that she has hurt. You need to be firm with Rosalie and tell her in no certain terms that you are going back to Tanya, and be sure that she understands you. Then you need to tell Tanya that there is no way that you are going back to her, not after what she had put you through."

"I know," I said. "But if I'm going to have a future with Angela Weber, I think I will have to make some changes. Starting with her; I need to get over Tanya for good."

"You think it was easy for me to get over Leah?" Sam cried out. "We were supposed to get married and you remembered what had happened next?"

I did remember what had happened at Sam and Leah's wedding: she had falsely accused him of sleeping with her cousin, Emily Young, just 2 weeks before the wedding. She stormed away from the altar and dodged Sam's explanations that he had been helping Emily, who was cursed with epilepsy. It had taken Sam nearly 3 months to get over that painful time in his life.

I said, "Leah has accepted Jacob Black's engagement and they plan to marry before the year is out."

Sam frowned. "I can't believe her; first she ruins my life after being there for me after my father's death, and now she decides to marry the richest son of our leader. I hope she's happy!"

He sighed and said to me, "Edward, if I were you, then I would firmly insist that you stand up to Rosalie and Tanya and put them in their place. I wish I could have done the same thing with Leah, but she would only end up screaming at me even more. But anyway, you need to put your foot down and insist that you're happy with Angela, or else they will try to ensnare you once again."

Some things are easier than done, but I knew that Sam was right. I needed to stand up to Rosalie and make sure that she knew that I wanted Angela and not Tanya. But how would I do that without upsetting Emmett? I knew that he loved her, but I also wondered if he knew about how mean that she was to me. I wished that Emmett could put his foot down and stop Rosalie from harassing me so much.

What was I going to do to make sure that Rosalie knew to leave me alone?


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

(Edward's POV)

Tanya was back in Millhurst.

This did not surprise me in the slightest, as I always knew that sooner or later, she would be coming after me. But if she thought that she could get me to come back to her, then she was sorely mistaken. I would never return to her as long as I lived.

My entire family had gathered in the parlor and we were all speaking to Eleazar and Carmen, Tanya's parents, and Irina and Kate, who were Tanya's sisters. They were here for the same reason that I was here: to tell Tanya that it was over between her and me.

After all the pleasantries were exchanged, Irina said to me, "Edward, after you left Tanya, she fell apart and would not leave her bed for weeks. At first, I was angry with you for leaving her, but then I figured out why you left. You were not happy while you were staying with us, were you?"

"I was never happy with her," I said, "and I didn't know why it took me two years to come to my senses. I just knew that if I had indeed married Tanya, then I would have been the most miserable man in the world. What good is it to be married to a woman that you do not love?"

Irina frowned and stared at Rosalie. Emmett said, "Is everything ok? Rose?"

Rosalie said, "I don't care if you were miserable, but I will insist that you admit that being with Angela was a mistake and you will go back to Tanya and you WILL marry her!"

"And I will firmly insist that being with Tanya was a mistake and I will possibly marry Angela," I snapped as I glared at her. "You cannot stop me this time! I would rather marry a plain boring girl rather than a pretty slattern like Tanya here!"

"Is that all I am to you? A slattern?" Tanya's voice cut through the air like a scythe. She smiled as she looked at me. "Edward," she said with her voice dripping with acid. "I should have known that you came back to your family after you broke my heart. Now why did you leave me just as I was about to plan for the rest of our lives together?"

"I saw you for what you truly are," I said. "I knew that you were a bad seed, and I knew that you had stolen Laurent from Irina about 3 years before you tried to marry me. Laurent told me everything that had happened and I knew that I needed to leave you and find someone else. It's always the same thing; you either steal one of your sisters' boyfriends or you try to trick a boy into marrying you. You will never stop until you have me in your clutches, or will you?"

Tanya was about to scream at me when I head a knock at the door. I tensed, knowing that if Angela were to see Tanya, then things would get worse…

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

I don't know why Edward asked me to come to his house. But what I do know is that his former fiancée was back in town and she wasn't very happy about him leaving her for me.

My parents were with me and unlike me being nervous, they were quite clam about the whole thing. I didn't like the fact that they could be so calm while I was turning into a huge ball of nerves. Also, I couldn't believe that just as I was beginning to fall in love with Edward, Tanya had to show up.

This was not going to end well.

* * *

><p>(Edward's POV)<p>

I gasped as I saw Angela and her parents walking into the parlor. Alice squealed with delight as the others tried to maintain their decorum. But Tanya and Rosalie were angry. They did not want to see Angela with me at all.

I said, "why are you here, Angela?"

"You invited me here," she said. Then looking at Tanya, she said, "I take it that this is Tanya."

Tanya glared at her and said, "and I think you were the one who took Edward away from me."

"Nobody took me away from you," I growled, "and if anyone did, it would be Laurent. He told me the truth about you. But you can't reach him right now, as he's touring the Nile River with his friends James and Victoria." Tanya glared at me and I said, "and this is Angela Weber."

"Who? Her?" she snapped as she stared at Angela.

"Yes, me," said Angela. "You had a chance with Edward and you threw it away when you stole your sister's boyfriend from her. I'm not sure if you really deserve to be married to any man, let alone Edward."

Tanya glared at her and Rosalie said, "I can't believe that you turned her down a second time. Laurent is nothing more than a French-speaking liar who just wanted to destroy things between you and Tanya. But now that he's out of the picture, now you and Tanya can get married."

I could not believe what Rosalie had just said; I had all but declared that I was with Angela to the family and Rosalie still insisted that I be with Tanya. Then I remembered what Sam said to me about putting her in her place. But would I do it, and if I did, how would she react?

* * *

><p>(Angela's POV)<p>

I should have known better than to jump into the middle of the conflict, but I couldn't just stand there and allow them to belittle and manipulate Edward like that.

Something needed to be done.

I marched right up to Tanya and said, "So, you think that he would want to return to you right after you betrayed him? And not only that, you betrayed your own sister just for some cheap kicks?"

Tanya gasped and stared at me. She didn't know what to say.

I continued, "Why do you insist on having Edward? You should know that he doesn't want you. Not if you hurt people constantly..."

Rosalie said, "You better be quiet, you. This is Edward's future wife you're talking to."

"And while we're on the subject about that," I continued as if Rosalie hadn't interrupted me, "I believe that Edward has the right to choose who he wants to be his wife. Would he want to marry a woman who lies and cheats, or would he want to marry a woman who is pure and honest?"

"Purity? Honesty?" Tanya laughed in my face. "Being pure and honest is so last year. In fact, the average couple has gone through many dates and probably slept around just to find each other."

My father glared at her, but Emmett laughed. He said, "Tanya, you're a liar. I have never been with any other girl until I met Rosalie, and I'm sure she hasn't slept with the man who deserted her before she met me."

"Emmett, you are my best friend's husband!" Tanya snapped at him. "I demand that you be on my side!"

"No," said Emmett. "It is wrong for you to destroy the one thing that has made my brother happy in years." He stood over her and said, "And if you try to come between them, then you will get what you deserve."

I said to her, "So if I were you, I'd give up now because you'll never become what I am to Edward."

Tanya could only stare at me as I took my place beside Edward. No one else said anything. Even Rosalie was speechless. But I wondered about how Edward was going to react to what had just happened…

* * *

><p>(Edward's POV)<p>

The heart of the matter couldn't be more prominent. I was the center of attention and it would be terrible if I didn't have my say in this matter.

I said to Tanya, "I believe that you and I are completely finished and as of right now, I am going to disassociate with you until you have come to your senses. Now, I'm with Angela Weber and there's nothing that you can say or do about it." I turned to Rosalie and said to her, "And I suggest that you apologize to both me and Angela for even trying to cause some unnecessary drama. You are my sister-in-law and you should respect my decisions. But if you continue to insist that I marry Tanya, I will insist that Emmett divorces you immediately."

Rosalie gasped in horror as she started at Emmett. He said, "But Edward, you can't tell me to divorce Rose; I love her!"

I said, "And if you love her, then tell her to cease this unwomanly behavior. You are her husband, and it's time for you to take charge. You've let her walk all over you for too long and you need to step up and become a man." My father and mother nodded as they stared at Emmett.

Rosalie said, "So now it's come to this, right? You don't want Tanya in your life and now you're telling Emmett to divorce me? I'm so mad at you right now that I could..."

Emmett said to her, "OK, that's enough, Rose. You need to sit down."

"Emmett?" Rosalie stared at him. "You're siding with him?"

"He's my brother," said Emmett, "and I'm going to suggest that you sit in the big comfy chair in the corner." Rosalie glared at him and then said to me, "I'm going to make you pay for this, Edward Cullen! No one one-ups me and gets away with it!" She then stormed away to the chair and sat there.

"Now that that's settled," said Eleazar, "I'd like to have some dinner." Everyone agreed and they all walked off to the dining room, save for Rosalie. I needed her to see that I was happy with Angela and that I did not want Tanya at all.


End file.
